The present invention relates generally to optical transmit/receive devices, and more particularly to a novel optical scanning/tracking system utilizing a laser. Specifically, the present invention comprises a wide-angle laser transmit/receive system particularly useful for target acquisition utilizing a directed laser beam.
Existing optical transmit/receive systems utilizing a laser include a mechanical subsystem of moveable gimbal mounted mirrors to aim the laser beam at a target and to position the receiver optics for receiving feedback. The mechanical subsystems characterizing existing systems necessarily require close tolerance manufacture, assembly and alignment of component parts, and are susceptible to misalignment under the influence of the variable g forces induced by an accelerating coordinate system characteristic of, for example, an operating missile.
The present invention provides an optical transmit/receive system utilizing a directed light beam, such as a low power laser beam, for use in a ranging device, missile guidance system, target recognition and identification system, tracking device or the like. The optical steering system comprising the present invention utilizes a magneto-optic stripe domain grating device to deflect a laser beam into a two-dimensional field of view. The system provides beam transmission over a wide field of view and includes a detector and associated receiver optics having a narrow effective field of view thereby limiting background noise while maintaining a wide overall field of view. The laser steering is accomplished electronically without the use of mechanical steering devices.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved opical transmitter/receiver device.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an optical tracking device characterized in structure and operation by electronic steering of a directed laser beam and of the receiver optics without the use of mechanical steering devices.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the detailed description of certain representative embodiments thereof proceeds.